Test Sentences, 1

The first two sentences in Gary’s list are:

  1. The sun shines.
  2. The sun is shining.

Now, for me, the difference between the two sentences is that the first is in the habitual and the second is in the progressive. OK. No problem. sodna-lɛni makes that distinction:

1. loho logɨdiya evna.

loho
sun.MTsg
from the sun
logɨdiya
light.MTpl
light
evna
evi.ITR
moves out iteratively

2. loho logɨdiya evi.

loho
sun.MTsg
from the sun
logɨdiya
light.MTpl
light
evi
evi.IMP
is moving out

logɨdiya is the class IV noun meaning ‘light, rays of light’ in the motile plural. It’s the subject of both sentences.

loho is the class II noun meaning ‘the sun’ in the motile singular. It acts as the source or point of origin for the subject. It can be motile because class II nouns are higher up in the animacy hierarchy than class IV nouns.

evi is the verb in use. It means that its subject is moving out in all directions from a grammatically required point of origin. In the first sentence evi is in the iterative, and in the second, the imperfect.

In Kēlen, the two sense are conflated and the easiest way to express the concept is in the sentence:

1|2. la anlōki;

la
LA
exists
anlōki
sunlight
sunlight